Vox pop

To eliminate child labour, first help parents to rise above poverty This refers Thomas Chandy’s article Give them their rights (September 1). A stricter law in the form of the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act against child labour is definitely a welcome move but it needs to be implemented in letter and spirit. Moreover, child labour is a social problem that has several interlinked causes, including poverty and social exclusion. Despite various laws, the problem has persisted. Therefore, it must be realised that the economic development of parents who send their children to work to increase their family income is a crucial component of any effective effort to eliminate child labour. -Manoj Krishnan, Delhi

We need to clean up our act This refers to Namita Bhandare’s article All spit and no polish (Another Day, September 1). It is appalling that ours is a country where more people have access to mobile phones than to basic sanitation. Open defecation, which the World Health Organisation considers “the riskiest sanitation practice of all”, is still prevalent in our country with people being forced to ease themselves on railways tracks, river banks or open fields. It’s high time the government realises that this is a matter of national shame and ensures that every Indian has access to hygienic sanitation. -RK Maheshwari, Delhi

II

I fail to understand what is stopping the Indian Railways from ensuring that open-discharge toilets are replaced by bio-toilets as recommended by the Kakodkar committee and Pitroda committee. Besides improving the environment, bio-toilets will also help prevent the corrosion of coach and track components. It’s high time that like other countries India too appoints clean-up marshals who fine offenders found spitting and littering at public places. -N Kavita, Jamshedpur

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